It might just be the most difficult part of the trade – how do you recruit top talent? You want the very best contractors, managers, and leaders on your team, but how do you go about finding them?

Your role as the business owner is to ‘sell’ your company – not only to potential clients, but to potential employees as well. Job candidates want to know that your company can not only provide the rewards and pay they deserve, but that it can also provide the training, support and development plans to advance their career.  

It’s About More Than the Money

Deciding to work for a company is as much an emotional decision as it is a logical one. Potential hires find it necessary to feel the culture of the business, to see that their talents will match company values and brand promises.

For this reason, it is important to have your values clearly and concisely defined. You need to be able to define “the why” of your business – why do you do what you do? Additionally, you want to be able to explain the direction you foresee the business heading – where do you see the company in 3, 5, or even 10 years?

Defining Rewards, Recognition, and Pay

While payscale is an important factor to consider, recruits want to know that their work is going to be recognized and rewarded, and therefore, it is important to outline and discuss the rewards your company offers.

When do I reward my employees?

To provide the rewards and recognition your employees deserve, you need some sort of measurement to track their progress. For example, you might find tracking sales and the ability to meet quarterly sales goals is an effective way to measure the success of an employee.

Take Recruits for a Ride

Potential hires want to know how they are going to be treated as a member of the team. They want to know that their work and talent is going to be welcomed and respected.

To give recruits a sense of how your business operates on a day-to-day basis, you might do well to consider implementing “ride alongs” into your recruitment strategy. This is where potential hires have the opportunity to join current members of your team for a day in the field. This not only gives recruits a good sense of daily operation, but it also sets the grounds for work and character expectations.

The Ability to Grow and Advance

Having clearly defined advancement and development opportunities laid out for potential hires can set your business apart from your competitors. If you desire top talent, you must also recognize that these individuals are seeking the opportunity to grow within your company, and therefore, you must have a development training outline in place.

A development training outline defines the steps and training a hire must complete in order to advance their career in your business. Though the completion of these steps doesn’t necessarily guarantee a promotion, it does qualify employees for the chance to step into the next role.

What is the next role?

In addition to a development training outline, it is important to have a company organization chart, which outlines the structure of the company, roles, and positions. This way, employees have a sense of direction in terms of career advancement.

Finding Talent

We’ve talked a lot about the ways to get people interested in applying for a position in your company, however, we have not yet mentioned where to look for the talent itself.

Fortunately, we no longer have to rely on newspapers to get our help wanted ads out into the world. Internet sites are the perfect medium to broadcast your open positions. Additionally, you may find that creating a video advertisement is a great way to reel in potential candidates. A video allows you to talk directly to recruits about what they can expect from your company.

The Takeaway

When the time comes to fill a position in your company, remember that candidates are looking for more than just good pay. They want to be sure that your company has clearly defined and outlined expectations and values. Additionally, they are going to want to see your business plan and how you plan on growing your company over the next few years.

Potential hires are also going to want to know that they have the opportunity for growth and advancement within the company and that their progress can result in the opportunity to step into another role. Finally, it is important that you provide fair compensation and implement a rewards system in which you track and measure employee success.

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